SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

Different devils

Johnny's Point of View

Well, that went as well as a train wreck.

Knowing I'd already done enough damage with my words today, I watched as Maeve got onto the bus without saying another word.
I thought that by bringing up what happened on Saturday—and the fact that I hadn't told anyone about it—she'd understand I wasn't her enemy.
But, as it turns out, I was wrong.
Mentioning it had only caused her to shut me out completely.

I promised Joey I'd look out for his sisters, and for Shannon, I'd kept my word.
But with Maeve, it felt like everything I did only made things worse.
First, I somehow triggered a panic attack in my car, and now I'd somehow made her target number one for Bella.
And why? Because Bella had convinced herself that Maeve was the reason I broke things off with her.
Great job, Kav.

Since I was still hurting from Saturday's game – and a surgery on my groin that refused to heal – I decided that standing still in the rain wasn't doing me any favours, so I headed inside just as the bell that signaled the end of the break rang.

"Johnny, where the hell were you?" Gibsie asked, looking agitated when I slid into the seat next to him. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Just outside, Gibs. Needed to clear my head."

"You could've told me. I've been trying to find Maeve, too. People are already talking about Bella calling her a—well, you know."

The word hit like a punch. "What?" I asked, instantly furious. "How has it already spread?"

Gibsie raised an eyebrow. "Lad, it's Tommen. Gossip's faster than a scrum half on speed. Plus, when you're Johnny Kavanagh, people are always watching. And they're not exactly subtle."

Before I could respond, Gibsie's phone buzzed on the desk, earning us a glare from the teacher.

"Sorry," Gibsie muttered, pretending to put his phone away, only to pull it back out the second her back was turned.
He smirked and flashed the screen in my face.

The Devil Wears a Uniform
What has Kavanagh done now?

I raised an eyebrow. "That's Niamh, isn't it?"

Gibsie grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Oh, she's got eyes everywhere. Also, side note—did you notice her and Feely have been talking more lately? Something's brewing there, mark my words."

I snorted. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"It's my best quality," he shot back, winking. "So, I was right. What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything," I muttered. "I thought Maeve might be upset about Bella, so I went to check on her."

"And?"

"And nothing. I found her at the bus stop. We were fine one minute, then I mentioned Saturday, and she just... shut me out again."

"Ahh, so that's it." Gibsie leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Still won't tell me what happened on Saturday, huh?"

I shot him a look. "No."

"Fair enough." Gibsie shrugged. "But seriously, Johnny, you've got to work on your delivery. You've got good intentions, but you've also got this special talent for making girls run away from you."

I groaned. "Thanks for the support, Gibs."

Before I could say more, another text from Niamh popped up on his phone. He glanced at it and smirked again.

"Well, looks like Niamh's not done with you," he said, showing me the message:

The Devil Wears a Uniform:
Maeve's been off since morning, spacing out in class. What did you do, Kavanagh?